Ciabatta
by LileyKigoSpashleyRizzslesLover
Summary: It's no surprise that watching your best friend in bed with a psychopath can unlock some suppressed feelings, but is it enough to make Maura tell Jane how she really feels? Continuation of S3E7. Jane/Maura. Oneshot.


Jane and Maura, with beer and wine in their respective hands, sat on the couch, their legs covered in a pale grey-blue knitted blanket.

The detective brought her hand up to chew on her fingernail while the other woman gazed over at her with an indiscernible look.

Maura sighed, her fifth one that minute, as she thought about the events that transpired that day. She almost lost her, she knew, and she would never forgive herself if that happened. It made her want to tell the other woman how she felt. But the inherent risk it held made her rethink that.

Jane saw the worried look and tried her best to make it go away the best way she knew how – with humor. "The worst part was the outfit." After seeing a ghost of a smile cross the doctor's features, she continued. "Pink shoes. Vomit." Sighing, she brought her beer up for another swig.

That earned a light laugh from the worrisome woman. "I think Dominick killed Dr. Parker because he was trying to warn you."

"Poor guy. And Dr. Eve got shot just cause she had to pee. I mean, that's just wrong."

"In Dominick's mind, Dr. Parker was breaking up your marriage." Though she tried to explain the deranged man's motive, she knew nothing would warrant him taking Jane like that. She still felt tears well up when she thought about it. No matter how many incidents happened to her best friend she knew she would never get used to it. Even if they seemed to happen almost every week.

"And what a marriage it would have been." Jane responded with a smile. "Did I show you my honeymoon pictures?"

"Oh, you went on a honeymoon?"

"My head did."

"Mmm." She nodded, understanding what that meant.

"Apparently we missed the luau." She said, bringing the drink up to her mouth once again. "I always wanted to go to a luau."

Maura tucked that information away for future reference before changing the topic. "I'm thinking of freezing my eggs." She spoke rather nonchalantly before sipping from her wine glass.

Jane, meanwhile, almost spit out her beer. She swallowed, and then spoke. "Okay, how much wine have you had?"

Not noticing the joking tone of that last sentence, she spoke seriously. "Not much. I just don't think marriage is for me." Especially since the one person she _would _get married to, she was sure, didn't return the feelings. "But I'd like to preserve my option to have children."

"Okay." The taller woman nodded. It made sense but still sounded a little strange to her. "I'm gonna leave my eggs right where they are. And we're gonna talk about something else."

Maura laughed and brought a hand up to her mouth to cover it. "Like what?"

"You and Dr. Pike."

She opened her mouth and rolled her eyes, not even sure what she should say as a response. It was too late, as Jane kept talking.

"What a cute couple you'd make."

"Very funny. Very, very funny." Maura shot Jane a look of complete and utter adoration and she was slightly glad that the other woman was too busy laughing to herself.

"He's a luau kinda guy."

They both looked at each other and simultaneously mimicked dry heaving at the thought of him in a grass skirt before bursting into laughter.

Once they were finished, Maura looked over and sighed. "He likes you, you know?"

"Who? Dr. Pike?" She wanted to laugh if she wasn't so worried that the other woman was right.

"Of course. I mean, how many times has he called you 'stunning'? He's only said that to me once."

"Really? When?"

"When he confessed his love for me." She laughed. This had certainly been an odd couple of days. She didn't think it was possible for a symposium to wind up stranger than the last one she had attended but she was wrong.

"Oh, that." A bandaged wrist waved it off. "Get a man drunk enough, he'll say anything."

Maura laughed again. "Let's hope you're right."

"What's the matter? Don't you _want _to marry such a successful medical examiner?" If her laughter didn't give the fact that she was teasing away, the tone of voice she used certainly did.

"Ugh. I'm surprised that man even knows the difference between a scalpel and a scapula." With her hand pressed against her temple, she shook her head.

Jane set her beer down before lunging at the other woman in the middle of her next sentence. "But think of the smart test-tube babies you'll have!"

"Jane!" She chuckled but didn't push said woman off of her. In fact, she reveled in the closeness. Apart from the lingering hug they shared when the kidnapped woman returned to their workplace, this was as close as they've gotten all day. And, as much as she wanted to, she didn't even inform the detective of the interesting facts of egg freezing her brain stored, lest she move away.

The Italian woman had no intention of moving, however. Instead, she wrapped her arms around waist below her, albeit hesitantly, and snuggled in closer.

Maura took in a sharp breath at the instant rush she experienced. Once her heart rate went down from its dangerously fast level to just slightly above her normal jogging rate, a smile appeared on her face. She cautiously rested her arm on the other woman's back and, once she was sure they were staying like that for awhile, she began rubbing her thumb against the clothed back. It was so light she was sure Jane didn't even feel it.

She did, of course, and sighed under the touch. "Mmm. Maura?"

Her movements stilled as she looked down. "Yeah?"

"Don't stop." She whined. As soon as the single-digit backrub resumed, she started saying what she was going to originally. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"See what?"

"The – the video feed."

She shook her head but then, realizing the other woman couldn't see her, spoke. "No. I'm sorry you had to go through that." The thought of it brought the tears back to her eyes. They were in full force this time and she couldn't stop all of them before they fell from her face. One landed on Jane's neck, causing her to sit up.

"Maura?" She reached up and wiped a couple away, all the while trying to ignore the fact that their faces were just inches apart. Her eyes wandered down to the other woman's lips a few times but she tried her best to fight the overwhelming urge.

"Oh, Jane!" She cried and collapsed against the shoulder of the one she loved so desperately. "I was so scared. I thought I was going to lose you forever. I thought I would never get the chance to tell you…"

"Tell me what?" Her gaze was hopeful yet sympathetic.

Maura looked into those deep chocolate eyes staring back at her and all words left her mind. All she could do was lean forward and let her actions speak for her. The kiss was brief but very much needed – by both parties. Consequently, it also restored Maura's ability to put her feelings into words. "You're my everything." Her words were breathless, as if just the act of speaking them had an immense effect on her. "I- I can't imagine living without you." Tears fell freely now, though they weren't of pain and anguish like they were before but, instead, each droplet contained the relief she had of finally getting this out. Like before, however, Jane reached up and wiped them away. "I love you."

Jane smiled before leaning forward and kissing the remaining salty clear pearls away. "I feel the same way."

"You do?" Her eyes gave away her clear amazement at that statement.

"Yeah." She grinned and let out a breath. "You know how – when you think you're about to die – your life flashes before your eyes?"

"Yes."

"Well… all I saw was you."

Maura's bottom lip quivered as her emotions bubbled over once again. "Jane, that's so sweet."

She laughed at that. "I'm not trying to be sweet. I'm trying to be honest. In-between my racing thoughts about trying to say the right thing and whether I should try to break my thumbs to get out of those cuffs, I saw you. You were the only thing outside of that room that I could focus on."

"Well… I'm glad you didn't break your thumbs." She offered rather poorly.

"Me too." She smiled. "Cause now I can do this." She reached over and held the other woman's hand, lacing their fingers together, and rubbing her thumb along the supple flesh that was so frequently submerged in dead people.

"That's not all you can do." Maura smiled suggestively but didn't add to her words nor did she make any move to change what they were doing at the moment. They just sat there in a happy, peaceful, silence until she spoke up again. "So, uh, are you going to tell your mother or should I?"

"Tell her about what?"

"The new status of our relationship."

"Uh…" She wasn't sure she ever wanted to have that conversation. She knew how much her mother loved Maura and she wasn't in the mood to be on the receiving end of the soon to be patented Angela Rizzoli Happy Hug.

"I can arrange a family meeting?"

She laughed nervously before something came to her. "Speaking of family meetings. How'd the last one go?"

"We didn't tell her."

"You didn't?" She frowned, having hoped it was over and done with.

"Nope. Frankie thought it was best if you were present."

"Of course he did." The detective grumbled. "So she has no clue who Lydia really is?"

She shook her head. "Not that I know of."

"Great… I guess we should arrange a family meeting for _that_, then. If anything else comes up, that's fine too, I guess."

Maura smiled, bounced up in her place on the couch, and placed a gentle kiss on Jane's cheek. "Great! I'll call everyone over now." She leapt up off the cushiony seat and headed for her phone.

"Wha – wait, now? Really? This can't wait until tomorrow?" She half-pouted, half-whined. After being held hostage all afternoon all she wanted to do was relax. She certainly couldn't do that while being interrogated by her mother.

The M.E. frowned and paused her button pushing. "I suppose you're right." She sighed, placing the item back on the counter.

"Good!" She smirked. "Then come back over here!"

"I have a better idea. Why don't we move this snuggle session over to my room."

Jane snorted. "Snuggle session?"

Maura just glared at her, collected her wine glass, and put it in the sink. From there she headed straight to her bedroom. It didn't take too long for Jane to jump up and follow, leaving her beer bottle behind still a quarter of the way full.

Nearby, Bass was startled awake by the sudden movement in the room. He peeked out of his shell to find the room devoid of humans and was about to go back to sleep when something caught his eye. There on the coffee table was an adult human drink. He's never had one before and was quite intrigued by the powerful effect it seemed to have on humans. After fifteen minutes of shuffling over, he reached the table and began banging into it, hoping the beverage would topple over. After a few tries, it finally did. He only had a few licks of the substance soaking into the carpet and already had this overwhelming desire to call up Joe Friday and tell her how much he loved her. Clearly he was what they call a "happy drunk". Fascinating.

Behind the closed bedroom door, Maura's brows furrowed. "Did you hear something?" She asked as she settled into the bed alongside Jane.

"No." She lied, not really wanting to get up and investigate. She was sure it was just that darn turtle again.

The Irish woman listened for a bit more but the sound seemed to have stopped. She figured it was nothing and settled into a warm embrace where they fell asleep comfortably and quickly.

Several hours and nice dreams later, they were awoken to the pleasant smell of breakfast wafting in the air. Sleepy-eyed Jane and wide-awake Maura made their way into the kitchen to greet their chef for the morning. Well, most mornings actually.

Angela smiled at the pair and then turned her gaze towards her daughter. "Janey? I didn't know you stayed over."

"Actually, about that –" Maura started but got a quick jab in the ribs with an elbow paired with a glance that warned her not to say anything yet.

"Uh… yeah. It was late so I just… slept here."

"You sure?"

The detective's panic-stricken face was apparent but nobody paid it any mind when the older woman continued.

"Cause I found one of your beers on the floor. Looks like the carpet's stained."

The human culprit frowned and cast an apologetic glance to her right. "Sorry, Maura. I'll pay to get it cleaned."

Said woman just nodded before accepting her plate of breakfast and heading to the table. Once everyone else had joined her, she spoke. "We were hoping to hold a family meeting sometime today."

"Is this about the same thing as last time?" Angela asked before putting a forkful of eggs into her mouth.

Maura nodded. "I think it's best if everyone is involved."

"If that's the case, should we wait until Tommy's back from his fishing trip? It is a _family _meeting, after all."

"For his safety, no."

Angela frowned and was kind of worried what this piece of information was that was so secret. "Fine." She turned to Jane. "You tell your brother to get his butt down to the café as soon as possible. We'll have our talk there."

"Uh…" Jane tried to suggest another location but got shut down.

"End of discussion." Her glare told everyone else in the room that her mind was made up.

The rest of breakfast was tense and awkward since nobody could think of anything to say that wasn't about the previous topic. They ate silently before heading off to work in their own cars where they met several minutes later in the Division One Café.

Jane was noticeably nervous as she sat there next to Maura and across from Angela as the waited for Frankie to show up. When he did several minutes later, it took all the elder Rizzoli had not to demand answers from all three of them.

"Well, luckily I brought this." Maura said, pulling the talking stick out from her purse, earning an eye roll from the two who had previously seen it. "Jane?" She passed the stick to her left.

"The hell am I supposed to do with this?" She laughed. "Protect myself?"

"No, it's a talking stick. It means you're in charge of talking right now."

"Oh." She frowned. "Well, uh… I don't really know where to start so… here you go, Frankie." She passed the stick over to her brother who refused to take it. Instead, Angela grabbed it again.

"Will someone just tell me what is going on?"

Frankie rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Well, uh… you know Lydia?"

"Yeah."

He opened his mouth but couldn't get the words to come out.

Maura decided to finish it. "She is – well, was – Frank's fiancée."

"What!" She yelled and stood up. "You mean that little harlot is walking around with his baby?"

"Sit down, Ma. We're not done." Jane put her hand on her mother's shoulder and pushed her back into her seat.

Angela frowned and gave an expectant look to Maura.

She sighed and continued. "Lydia might not be carrying Frank's child."

"Can't say I'm surprised." She said. "But... you held a family meeting just to tell me that my ex's ex fiancée cheated on him?"

"Not exactly." Frankie answered. "It's just that… she - she might be carrying Tommy's child."

The three weren't sure what to make of the sudden silence from the woman. They were expecting her to cause a scene. However, it just took her a few more moments then they expected to process the information she had been given.

"I'm going to kill him." She said rather calmly before shooting up out of her chair. "I swear I am going to kill that man for corrupting my son like this!" She yelled. The three still at the table ran after her before she could disrupt any other part of the building.

It was too late, as several people from different departments rushed over, thinking there was some sort of incident.

"What the hell is going on out here, Rizzoli?" Cavanaugh asked, looking at Jane. When he noticed Angela and realized she was the culprit of the scream he added to his words. "And, uh, Rizzoli."

"Nothing we can't take care of, Boss." Jane answered before turning to her mother. "Just calm down, Ma. There's nothing we can do about it now."

"No. There's nothing you can tell me that will make me not want to kill your brother and father right now."

"Well…" Maura started, giving a quick look towards Jane, who nodded. "There is something else we wanted to share."

Frankie looked over, confused. He didn't remember anything else they were supposed to tell his mother the other day. This must have been new.

"Jane and I are a couple."

"A couple of what?" The male cocked his head, clearly not understanding.

Angela knew exactly what they meant but waited for them to clarify anyway.

Figuring her previous tactic worked well enough before, Maura placed a light kiss upon Jane's lips. Everyone around them took notice but only those new to the police department were stunned.

"Oh, sweetheart! I'm so happy for you!" She yelled out in glee and hugged her daughter before reaching over to add Maura to the mass.

"Thanks, Ma." The detective spoke into the older woman's shoulder.

Cavanaugh, still at the scene, just smiled and turned to go back to his office. Things were never boring with this lot around, that's for sure.

"Don't you have customers, Ma?" Jane asked when she needed air.

She released them and sighed. "Yes. But they can wait. We're not even open yet."

"Well, I gotta work." Frankie said. "You too, Jane?"

She thought for a second. "No, actually, I don't. Korsak and Frost are taking care of it. They told me I went through enough already with our last case, I didn't need to deal with the paperwork too."

"Oh. So then what do you want to do?" Maura asked. She finished with her paperwork the other day so, unless a body came in, she had nothing to do.

Angela jumped up, thinking of something. "I have an idea. Why don't you two girls find me a new bakery? I obviously can't order from Bianchi's anymore."

"Why we gotta do your work for you?" The detective grumbled.

"Come on, Jane, it could be fun. I'll even try some ciabatta bread."

"Even though it has endosperm?" She laughed.

"Yes." She laughed. "Though…"

"No." Jane held up her hand, effectively halting the doctor's words. "I'm going to stop you right now. Anything having to do with the word 'sperm', I don't want to hear it!"

Maura just laughed, not denying a thing about what she was about to say, before they walked hand-in-hand out of the police department and set off to find the best bread in Boston.

XXXXX

A/N: Just wondering… are any of you headed to RizzlesCon this weekend? I am, and I would love to meet some of my readers so if you are going, leave a review or PM me to let me know!


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